Snow or ice remover for railways



(No Model.)

J. H. OOLVIN. SNOW OR ICB RBMOVBB FOR RAILWAYS.

Patented May 21, 1895.

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UNITED STATES ATENT Fries..

JOSEPH H. OOLVIN, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

SNOW OR ICE REMOVER FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 539,670, dated May 21, 1895.

Application filed March 18, 1895. Serial No. 542,230. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. CoLvIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Richmond, county of Wayne, in the State of Indiana, but temporarily residing in the city of Alexandria, in the county of Alexdria, in the State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Snow or Ice Remover for Railways, of which the following is a correct description.

The object of the invention is to provide, at inconsiderable expense, a simple mechanism which is applicable to an ordinary flat or platform car, or to a gondola car, whereby when a line of railway has become obstructed by accumulations of snow or ice, it may easily and quickly be freed from such accumulations.

The invention, broadly stated, consists of an inclined plow or shovel which is secured to the frame or body of a car, in connection with a novel mechanism which is operative from the car, whereby the plow is made adjustable, up or down, in relationu to the track of the railway.

The invention consists also of an inclined plow or shovel which is loosely secured to the body or frame of a car, and which is provided with a double-inclined outwardly-flaring corrugated deecting and discharging surface, and with a novel cutting and clearing shoe.

The invention consists also of a plow or shovel which is loosely secured to an end of a car, and which is inclined downwardly from its point of attachment thereto, in combination-withan extensible adjustable arm or lifting-bar which engages the bottom surface of the plow or shovel, and is movable by mechanism which is operated from the car, into, or out of engagement with the plow or shovel.

The invention consists further of various novel elements, or of various novel and useful combinations of parts, in a snow and ice remover for railways, as will clearly appear from. the following detailed description of the same, and from the specitic and distinct claims of novelty which followsuch detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of this specification, Figure l representsalongitudinal section of a modied gondola car which isprovided with my improved snow and ice removing mechanism, the

section being near the central line of the car. Fig.v 2 is a transverse section, as in the irregular broken line w lw of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a perspective plan view of the plow or shovel detached. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section showing a portion of the frame, floor, and deilecting-shield of the plow or shovel and also its attached cutting and scraping shoe. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the shoe of the plow or shovel, as when slightlymoditied, to adapt it to street-railways. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the shoe of the plow or shovel detached. Fig. 7 is a section of the shoe, as in the line xx of Fig. 5. cal line y of Fig. 1, representing one of the bar-operating levers, the stirrup depending from the lever, the adjustable liftingbar within the stirrup, and the key by which the bar is maintained in position when adj usted. In the longitudinal section represented in Fig. 1, and in the transverse section seen in Fig. 2, the invention is shown as applied to a gondola car A, the side-walls a. of which are here shown as let down or dropped, upon their hinges d2, this being their position when the car is in readiness for service in removing snow. v

rlhe snow plow'or shovel s is secured by Fig. 8 is a detail section in the verti-v hinges h to the frame or licor-timbers of the car. The plow consists of longitudinal sills or stringers s2; iiooring s3, which extends in a uniform inclined plane, from side to side of the plow; a superposed two-Way, outwardlyflaring, corrugated delecting-shield or guard s4, suitably secured to the-body of the plow; and an angular detachable cutting and clearing shoe 35, which embraces a horizontal sole s6, and an inclined upper S7. The sole 8.6 of the shoe 55, has a shallow bottom recess ss, and,-in continuation of the recess,an opening S9, to receive, respectively, the head t2, and the body t3, of a bolt t, which extends upwardly into a recess or gain S10, in the body ot' each 'of the sills s2, where it is secured in position by means of a holding-nut t4. At points coincident with the rails Tyr, of the trackway, the toe s11 of the shoe S5, is provided with a recess S12, whereby the front edge of the shoe is permitted to extend downward, a short distance, into the spacesexterior to and between the two rails. A

The modified form of shoe S15, represented ICO in Fig. 5, is designed for application to the plow when it is desired to employit in clearing street railways or tramways, the central, upwardly-extending recess S13, being adapted to the corresponding upwardly-rounded elevation or crown of the railway; and the downwardly-extending projections or scoops s1, si", being adapted to the corresponding trackdepressions d, d, of each of which one of the sunken rails r2, r2, constitutes the center. It will be seen that under this construction, the two shoes, S5 and 315, are made interchangeable, and that thus the plow is adapted to be employed, with equal advantage, for clearing any ordinary steam or electric railway,pro vided with T or H rails,or any ordinary form of street-railway, having rounded crown, and sunken rails.

Upon the car A are provided standards or supports a3, which are adapted to sustain the plow or shovels, when in its reversed position. Under the body of the car, and extending longitudinally of the same, are levers Z, la', ZZ), Zo, which are pvotally supported by means of links, Z3, Z4, Z5 and Z6, respectively, which are pivotally connected to the exterior longitudinal sills a3 and a4 of the car. Stirrups h2 and Z13, which are connected to, and depend, in a similar manner, from the levers l, la, lb, Zc, receive alongitudinal bar b, which is provided with lateral perforations bo, each of which is adapted, when the bar h has been suitably adjusted in its relation to the plow or shovel s, to receive, in connection with an opening b4 in the stirrup, a securing-pin bp.

The inner extremities of the levers Z, la, dzc., at the mid-length of the car, are in coincidence, and nearly in contact. A broad crossbar or bearing-arm c, rests, by its outer extremities, upon the opposite or meeting ends of the four levers l, la, lb, and lc, and at its center or mid-length receives a base or pedestal c2, which has bifurcations c3, c3, in which is pivotally received the lower extremity of a bearing support c4, which extends vertically upward through an opening a5, in the body of the car A, and at its upper extremity is pivotally connected to a lever-arm c5, which is pivoted also to a fixed standard a6, and which is operated also in connection with an adjusting and holding rack as, which is provided upon a vertical standard a7, the free end of the lever being maintained in position when adjusted, by means of a spring-actuated catch cf".

It will be seen that the lifting-bars may be drawn inwardly from their extended position` when it is desired to attach or couple on another car.

To persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates, the operation of the described apparatus will, in the main, be plain from the foregoing description of its construction. It will be understood that under ordinary circumstances when in the act of clearing, the sole S6 of the shoe S5, will, at its recesses S12, rest in contact with the tread of the rails, while in its remaining edge-portions, it will, as already explained, project into the spaces below the plane of such tread, and in the forward movement of the car, will excavate and carry away all accumulations with which it may come in contact. Should a rough track be encountered, as when two contiguons ends of rails are laid at, or which in use have assumed dissimilar elevations, or should the road-bed be impeded by other heavy obstructions, lying either upon the rails, or within the spaces below the plane of the tread of the rails, it will be practicable, by means of the lever c5, and its connect-ions, to instantly elevate the front or engaging extremity of the plow, while a further outward adjustment of the bearing and lifting barb, will enable the operator, by a lever-movement of no greater extent, to elevate the plow to a still higher plane.

Through the provision of the double-inclined ridged or corrugated dellecting and directing guard or shield s4, which may in any convenient manner, be made detachable, the tendency of the body of snow, especially if it be a dry and light snow, to be pushed back by itself as it were, and to thus` slide over the rear of the plow, and be deposited, in part, upon the car, will be counteracted, the corrugations or ridges serving to arrest the backward movement of the snow, and to cause it to be heaped, instead of sliding up the ineline, and the mass of snow, as it accumulates, through the forward movement of thecar, will be forced diagonally outward, and away from the track, while by reason of the provision of the depending side-walls or wings ci, of the car, any portions of the accumulation which, when thrown forcibly outward by the plow, may fall against su ch `wings, will be prevented thereby from falling upon and `obstructing the track.

Through the provision of the recesses S10, in the sills s2 of the plow s, by which, in connection with the securing-bolts, the two distinct but closely analogous shoes, S5 and s, are made readily detachable and interchangeable, the plow becomes equally useful whether employed upon a line of steam or electric railway, in the open country, or upon aline of sunken rails, in a city street.

It will be noted thatthe snow-plow or shovel is supported wholly by the car itself, except as, by its shoe, it may,in the operation of clearing, incidentally, and for comparatively brief periods, be partially supported by the rails.

It will be obvious that a car might be provided with a single pair of coincident levers, each carrying a single adjustable, supporting and elevating bar, but I prefer to employ two pairs of levers, and corresponding bars, as shown and described.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed isi 1. A railway-car which is provided with a plow or shovel which is adapted to be hinged to either end of the car, andwhich is adjustable up or down', in relation to the track-rails, by mechanism which is operated from the door of the car, and which acts upon the bottom of the plow, at whichever extremity of the car such plow may be placed.

2. A railway-car which is provided with a snow plow or shovel which is pivotally secured to the body or frame of the car, and is reversible upon its pivot, in a vertical plane andwhich at its snow-engaging extremity is provided with a rigidly-attached, integral, bifurcated or two-limbed shoe which in one of its parts extends along the track-rails, and is formed with recesses and projections which are adapted to the configuration of the road.

3. A railway-car which is lprovided with a snow-plow or shovel which is adj ustably and reversibly attached to the frame or body 4of the car, and which at its snow-engaging extremity is provided with a detachable angular shoe which in one part extends along and in contact with the surface of the track-rails, and which in its other part extends along and constitutes a portion of the inclined snowand-ice-engaging surface of the body of the shovel proper.

4. A railway-car in which are combined an end-plow or shovel which is pivotally secured to the bodyof the car; a series of levers which extend longitudinally, beneath the frame of the car, and which are pivotally supported in bearings which depend from such frame; a standard which is mounted upon the longitudinally-extended pivoted levers; a standard which is mounted upon the body of the car; an adjustable lever which is pivoted to the standard upon the body of the car, and which is pivoted also to the standard which is supported by the longitudinally-extending levers; and a series of horizontal lifting-bars, each of which is longitudinally adjustable in bearings of one of the longitudinal levers; whereby the end-plow or shovel is either ele- Vatled from, or depressed toward the trackrai s.

5. A railway-car which is provided with elements as followsz-an end plow 'or shovel which is loosely attached to the body of the car 5 longitudinally-extending levers which are suspended beneath the body of the car ,--lifting-bars each of which is adjustable, longitudinally, along onel ot' the longitudinally-extending levers; a vertical standard which is fixed upon the body of the car; an adjustable lever which by one extremity is pivoted to the standard which is tixed upon the bodyof the car; and a vertically-arranged standard or connecting-bar which is pivotally mounted, as a depressible fulcrum, upon the free ends of the longitudinal levers which are suspended beneath the body of the car, and which atits upper extremity is pivoted to the adjustable lever which in turn is pivotally-connected to the standard which is fixed upon the body of the car.

6. The combination with a railway-car, of a snow-plow or shovel which in its upper portion is, by a horizontally and transversely extending pivotal bearing, attached to the body of the car, and is thus made reversible in a Vertical plane; and which in its remaining portion rests upon longitudinally-extending bars which project outwardly from the ends of the car. n

7. The combination with a railway-car of a continuous or non-sectional snow-plow or shovel which byits upper extremity is pivotally attached tothe body of the car, and which is thus made invertible when not in use; and which in its lowerl portion rests upon the extremity of longitudinally adjustable bars which project from the ends of the car, and which are operated from the floor of the same.

8. In a snow and ice remover for railwaycars, a snow-plow the body or frame of which is provided with top recesses, and Vwith corresponding downwardly-extending securingopenings; in combination with a detachable clearing-shoe which has a bottom recess which is provided at its top with a corresponding securing-opening.

9. In a snow and ice remover for railwaycars, a snow-plow which is invertibly attachable to either end of the car, and which is provided with a detachable shoe the clearing edge of which'is formed with a central upwardly-extending recess, and with corresponding downwardly-extendin g proj ections,where by the shoe is adapted to the transverse prole of a railway; substantially as shown and described.

JOSEPH H. COLVIN.

Witnesses:

HORACE A. DODGE, W. F. OsBoRNE.

IOC 

